Parayhouse School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and students

This is a good school. Students' achievement is good.

They have benefited from the good quality support they receive from teachers and other adults. The headteacher, school leaders and governors have ensured improvement in all aspects of the school's work. Students' progress in reading, writing and mathematics, from low starting points, has been good in the last three years.

As a result of good teaching, students make good progress in their speaking, listening, and language skills. They also benefit from the work of speech and language therapists. Teaching is consistently good.

Systems to manage staff performance are rigorous and linked to students'... progress in all subjects. Parents and carers appreciate the school's work to support their children. They feel that they are sufficiently informed and involved in their children's progress.

The school's work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. The school is welcoming and supportive of students from all backgrounds. Students feel extremely safe and well cared for.

Students' behaviour is outstanding. Their attitudes in and outside the classroom are exceptional because of the consistent way behaviour is managed. Students' excellent personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school's success.

The governing body holds the school robustly to account for its performance and management of finances. This has strongly contributed to students' good achievement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The progress of a few of the most able students is slower than that of their peers.

Not enough qualifications are available for the most able students at Key Stage 4. Teachers' marking does not always lead to improvement in knowledge and skills in writing, particularly for the most able students.

Information about this school

The school caters for students with moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.

All students have underlying speech, language and communication difficulties and some have gross and fine motor skills difficulties. A few students have a diagnosis of autism. All students have a statement of special educational needs.

About a quarter of students are girls, the rest are boys. Three quarters of students, an above average proportion, are from a diverse range of minority ethnic backgrounds and a quarter speak English as an additional language. There have been some changes in the school since the last inspection.

The governing body and the Board of Trustees have been reorganised and the senior leadership team has expanded to include three middle managers, including a speech and language therapist. The school works closely with several external services such as occupational therapists. This school receives a small amount of additional government funding for sports.

It does not receive additional funding for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or those in local authority care. Students are not entered early for examinations. The school provides training and support for other local schools.

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